Evergreen’s PeopleEvergreen’s People

Other LocationsOther Locations

Evergreen’s Mission

As an innovative public liberal arts college, Evergreen emphasizes collaborative, interdisciplinary learning across significant differences. Our academic community engages students in defining and thinking critically about their learning. Evergreen supports and benefits from local and global commitment to social justice, diversity, environmental stewardship and service in the public interest. (Official college policy, last revised April 2011.)

Principles that guide the development of all college programs and services:

A focus on teaching and learning, student engagement and success (learning, satisfaction, graduation)

Opportunities for students to work with faculty and advisors to devise their own academic pathways

Support for student learning engages everyone at Evergreen. Teaching is the central work of the faculty at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Faculty re-appointment depends primarily upon teaching effectiveness, interdisciplinary scholarship, and ability to collaborate and plan interdisciplinary curricula within learning communities.

The preparation of students in their academic fields with the skills to communicate, solve problems, and work collaboratively and independently as responsible global citizens who can act locally in communities and support the practices of democracy, social justice, and sustainability.

An emphasis on curricular and pedagogical substance, experimentation, and innovation that strives for integrative learning

Active, engaged learning environments: study abroad, field studies, and community service opportunities.

Multiple modes of study, which broaden the opportunities for students to study at Evergreen: full-time day, Evening and Weekend studies, undergraduate and graduate study, Independent Learning Contracts, and internships.

A commitment to meaningful narrative evaluations of student work by faculty and self-evaluations by both students and faculty

Close student-faculty collaboration and substantive undergraduate research opportunities

A commitment to serving under-represented, nontraditional, and first-generation students

Environmental stewardship and sustainable campus practices

A commitment to public service and reciprocal local, regional, and national partnerships. Our six Public Service Centers disseminate the best work of the college and bring back to it the best ideas and practices of the wider community.

A commitment to building a learning community that preserves Evergreen’s distinctive and long-standing values, including:

The traditions of a liberal arts education that produces thoughtful, knowledgeable, conscientious, and active citizens

A determination among faculty and students to make a difference

An environment of cooperation and respect for one another and for cultural differences

Shared governance, open access to governance processes for all

A willingness to solve grievances by responding to conflict in compassionate and constructive ways